


Danny's Uneventful Day Off

by mvernet



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Fantasy, Child's Invisible Friend, First Kiss, Fix-It of Sorts, Ghosts, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, M/M, Ninth Season Episode Five, Supernatural Elements, Toy Costume Related Weapons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-20 18:24:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16560947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mvernet/pseuds/mvernet
Summary: A belated Halloween canon/fantasy fic for Danny fans. Danny takes Halloween off to spend time with Charlie. What could possibly happen?A treat of missing Danny scenes from season nine episode five, since in that Halloween episode the trick is that Danny isn’t even mentioned.





	Danny's Uneventful Day Off

Danny sat in the Camaro outside Charlie’s school watching the kiddies pour out of the doors clutching bright orange treat bags and dressed as everything from slightly clumsy ballerinas to more grimey than grim, grim reapers.

He spied his beautiful boy Charlie in his passionately homemade costume of Super SEAL walking slowly down the stairs, glancing to his right as if listening to someone talking to him. Danny shook his head fondly at his antics. 

Before school this morning, Danny had sent Steve a half-dozen pictures of the get-up Charlie designed himself, from a old ninja costume of Grace’s, and a pair of cargo pants laden with inappropriate toy knives, guns and hand grenades, that his Uncle Steve had gifted Grace and Charlie with over the years. 

Despite Charlie’s cries of dismay, his collected arsenal of faux deadly weapons and his black ops full face ninja hood had to be confiscated in order for him to comply with his school’s anti-violence policy, but Danny compromised with a navy blue camo head scarf and some cool, non-toxic, black smudges painted under his shining blue eyes.

After Danny sent the last pic of the more subdued baby SEAL, Steve texted his little buddy;

//A SEAL doesn’t need weapons to be deadly. Happy Halloween, SEAL man.//

Charlie’s face lit up, but Danny had to text back;

//This is a child, Steven. We do not encourage death and destruction.//

To which Steve texted back;

//Have a fun day off Danno. You and my protege’ stay safe.//

Danny shook his head and let it go. He honestly thought his impressionable son couldn’t have a better role model but he’d never tell Steve that. He texted back:

//You too.//

~~~**~~~

Charlie sat happily in the passenger seat, restocking his cargos with realistic plastic weapons and fun-size chocolate candies.

“So, scary SEAL, what would you like to do? Trick or treating in the rich neighborhoods? Or we could visit 5-0 and the HPD headquarters. Guaranteed you’ll get some coinage if not full size candy bars and maybe some malasadas. Or maybe we go for fish tacos and trick or treat later when it’s dark and spooky out?”

Charlie stuck his tongue out and worried his options. “I’d like tacos, Danno, but then…”

Charley dug into his backpack and came up with a crayon colored picture of what looked like a haunted house and handed it to his father. “I got an inviteration. Roland Sykes, he’s a new boy, gave it to me. I don’t think he has many friends yet. He doesn’t talk much just draws.”

“Invitation, son,” Danno corrected absently. He looked over the drawing. The house was purple and the grass brown, in the backyard was what looked like an open grave with a tombstone sprouting from the ground. A sad faced moon was full in a grey sky. The house had many windows and in one was a black silhouette of a young boy. Danny turned it over and read the words written in a child’s uneven hand with a black crayon.

Charlie Plese  
Come to my house  
I want you to play with me.

Roland Sykes  
666 Sykes Road

“Yikes. Like this isn’t creepy,” Danno mumbled to himself. He turned to his anxious boy. “There’s no phone number. This is a new kid in your class, Charlie? Do you really like him?”

Charlie nodded his eyes wide and pleading. “A whole lot, Danno. He sits next to me. He’s quiet. I think maybe he’s a divorced kid or maybe he was in a hospital for a while, like me.”

Danny smiled sadly at his son and reached over to stroke his silky blond hair. Danny knew that sometimes his littlest monkey had very grown up thoughts about his continuing fight with bone marrow cancer and his confusion over who his real daddy is. Danny cursed Stan for basically abandoning his son when he found out Charlie wasn’t his and thanked his lucky stars for the constancy of Uncle Steve’s love that never once wavered in his son’s mind. “That’s good. Uh, I’m proud of you for wanting to be his friend. Why don’t we see if we can find his street. I’ll introduce myself to his parents and maybe we can all go out for tacos, huh? ‘Cause, I kinda get the feelin’ that Roland didn’t ask his parents permission to have a Halloween party.”

“Yeah, I guess. Yeah, Danno. I want to do that. Maybe we can take Roland trick or treatin’ too?”

“Sweetie, let’s meet his parents first. Then we’ll all decide, okay?”

“Okay, Danno. I wanna do the GPS!” He reached for Danny’s phone.

Danny sat back and watched proudly as Charlie carefully put in the address. He turned the phone so Danny could read the map. “Wow, buddy. That’s in the boonies. We better get a move on.” You wanna try and find a phone number for the Sykes while I drive?”

“Okay, Danno.” Danny smiled as Charlie’s telltale tongue snaked out to show he was focused and excited.

~~~**~~~

Danny parked the Camaro in the driveway of 666 Sykes Road and wished he had brought his gun. He’d left it locked in his desk at work thinking he’d be around kids the whole next day and didn’t need the extra worry about possibly scaring young trick or treaters.

The house was uncanningly like its picture. Disheveled and overgrown with sickly trailing vines bearing shrivelled brown fruit hanging from the faded siding. The grounds were barren and rocky and the old plantation house abandoned. Before Danny could stop him, Charlie opened his car door and ran, calling merrily for his friend.

“Charlie, no! Wait!” Danny ran after him as he pounded up the steps to the wrap around porch. Danny caught up to him right after he knocked on the front door. “Roland, I’m here to play with you!”

“Charlie! Didn’t you hear me? Don’t ever run away from me! You can see this isn’t a place where a young boy would live. You need to obey me so I can keep you safe, little man. Your friend must have been playing a trick on you because it’s Halloween.”

Charlie’s blue eyes glistened. “No, no way, Danno! He wouldn’t do that. I know he lives here.”

The front door slowly opened. Charlie smiled through his tears. “There you are Roland. See Danno? Roland wouldn’t be mean or tricksty. Would you, buddy?”

Charlie broke free of Danny’s light grasp and entered the house, talking with his friend about eating tacos and going trick or treating with his Danno.

Danny froze as his blood turned to ice. Charlie was happily chatting with no one.

Danny swallowed his fear and entered the house. It looked like it had been suspended in time mid-century, circa 1960. Although covered with dirt and dust with signs of wildlife, mold and human squatters trying to move in, Danny could see that at one time a family had lived there. Family photos were still on one wall, a toy box with broken, dirty toys. A console stereo was against one wall with a Kingston Trio record on the turntable. 

Danny kept a close eye on Charlie, sensing his anxiety beneath the constant chatter. Danny sighed, finally having enough of hearing his son’s one-sided conversation. Danny stooped to pick up his overly sensitive son. Danny cradled his head against his shoulder and began to rock him, hoping he could find the words to comfort his troubled boy. 

“Hush, little monkey. Danno’s here. I’m never gonna leave you. Ever. You know this, right? You know I love you with all my heart? Me and Uncle Steve will never leave you. Soon Danno and Uncle Steve will open our restaurant and you can come help us after school and on your days off. When you’re a big boy, you can work for us while you go to college. And if you want, you can run the restaurant when you grow up. You can be anything you want to be, sweetheart. You can fly to the moon and back. But Danno and Uncle Steve will always be here for you. I cross my heart and swear on my Nana’s grave. I will never leave you alone.”

Charlie sniffed and snuggled into Danny’s neck like he did when his was just a toddler and sick in the hospital. Danny continued rocking him even though his boy’s long, now healthy legs nearly reached his Danno’s shins. Danny noticed once again the family photos against the old fashioned wallpaper as the last bright light of the afternoon winked and wavered across the vintage room.

Charlie lifted his head. “That’s Roland, Danno. See? He does live here. But he can’t come for tacos. His parents want him back. He said goodbye and he was glad he got to play with me. He needed me to help him find his way home and find his mommy and daddy. I’m hungry. Can we go?”

“Sure, Charlie, we can go.” Danny kissed his son’s cheek and carried him to the car. The front door closed eerily behind them, but Danny never looked back.

~~~**~~~

The next morning, Danny took Charlie to school a little early so he could talk to his teacher. Miss Andrews was an intelligent young woman, who had mentioned that she was going to night school to earn a masters in early child psychology.

Danny walked Charlie into his classroom and watched him head right to the bookshelf so he could pick out a book and crawl into the quiet reading nook before class officially started.

Danny smiled at Charlie’s teacher, he felt just a little intimidated. “Miss Andrews, can I have a minute?”

“Of course, Detective Williams. I was hoping to speak to you.”

Danny lost his smile and bit his lip. “Has Charlie been acting strange lately?”

“Well, he does seem to have an imaginary friend named Roland. But he only turned up about a week ago.”

“Yes, well. Charlie gave me this last night. I checked out the house and it was abandoned.”

Miss Andrews took the crayon picture, studied it, turned it over and frowned. “This doesn’t look at all like Charlie’s work, or his handwriting. Here, look, this is Charlie’s picture.” Miss Andrews pointed at a bulletin board covered with Halloween scenes colored by the class. Some were a little gruesome with monsters and zombies, but nothing out of the ordinary for imaginative kids. Danny found Charlie’s picture and examined it like a crime scene photo. The picture was of The Incredibles , the red garbed family of cartoon superheroes Charlie was fond of watching. Only Danny recognized Steve and himself as the parents, Steve being the largest figure with a wide smile and a superhero’s stance. Then Grace and Charlie as the kids but the Charlie figure was holding hands with Steve and a little boy with dark hair and eyes, Roland.

Miss Andrews cleared her throat. “Charlie told me who all the people were. He said they were his ‘another’ ohana. I don’t have my masters yet, Detective Williams, but I would hazard a guess that Charlie loves his Uncle Steve a great deal. And perhaps he’s feeling a little lonely? Charlie is a good student and gets along with the other boys as far as sports and games go, but I noticed he doesn’t have a buddy, a best friend. Lonely children often make up invisible friends. I understand your job is tough and time consuming and his sister is older and busy with school and friends, but maybe Charlie needs to spend a little more time with the people in this picture.The people he admires and loves the most.”

“I understand. Can I take this picture with me?”

“Sure thing, Detective. And don’t worry. A little extra attention sent Charlie’s way by, The Incredibles, and I bet Roland will disappear into thin air.”

~~~**~~~

Danny’s usual cast in iron emotions were in turmoil when he entered the 5-0 offices. He was surprised to see Eric there, laughing with Jerry over a private joke and giving the big man a friendly pat on the back. Danny placed Charlie’s pictures down as he helped himself to freshly made coffee.

“Mornin’ Jerry. Eric? What are you doin’ here? You okay?”

Jerry smiled and nodded his hello as Eric answered, “I’m fine Uncle D. No problems. I gave Jerry a ride in. He had a flat and needed a new tire. How was your day off?”

“Uh, fine. Fine. Me and Charlie, tacos and about two years supply of candy in an old pillowcase from Grace's 'Tangled' phase.” Danny sipped his hot coffee, quickly lost interest and put it down. “It was… okay. How about you guys? Do anything scary last night?”

Eric and Jerry exchanged knowing glances. Jerry said, “Nope, nothing unusual or paranormal happened to us.”

Danny tried to puzzle out what that meant, but was too preoccupied to care. “Uh, well, okay then. I guess we all had an uneventful day. Jerry would you mind doing a search for me? It most likely is nothing, but look up a kid named Roland Sykes maybe went missing or died in the early ‘60’s? Should be in the Honolulu area.”

“Sure, Danny. This a case?”

“No, uh, just something I stumbled across when I was trick or treatin’ with Charlie. Like I said probably nothing.”

Eric gave Jerry another pat. “Well, I gotta get to the lab. We’ll pick up your car after work at the tire place, you wanna go for pizza after, Big Guy?”

“Sounds good, E-train.”

Eric gave his Uncle an easy wave and headed for the door. Danny was struck with a sudden treasured memory of his nephew at Charlie's age, looking up at his favorite Uncle with wide-eyed adoration. Just like Charlie looks at Steve. Danny stopped Eric with a light touch on his arm. Danny bit his lip, then pulled Eric into a hug. Eric chuckled in surprise and hugged him back. Danny whispered, “I’m proud of you and I love you, kid. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Uncle Danny. I love you, too. You feelin’ okay? You didn't get bad news from the doctor or anything like that, right?”

“No, babe. I'm great. Yeah. Just. The words, you know? Should be said between us more often, don’t you think?”

“Sure, Uncle D. Sure. I gotta go, okay? You… you wanna join us for pizza and beers later?”

“No, I gotta pick up Charlie after school, but next time for certain. As a matter of fact, I'll buy you dinner. I wanna catch up with you. Call me, we’ll set a date.” Danny turned back to Jerry. “Steve in?” Jerry nodded already involved with his search.

Danny picked up Charlie’s drawings and headed for Steve’s office. Steve looked up from his computer as Danny entered. “Mornin’ Steve. You catch a case while I was gone?”

“Good morning, Danny. Yeah, well, yeah. But it’s closed already. Open and shut. How was your day off? Charlie survive his Halloween sugar rush?”

“Yeah, uh, yeah, the day off was fine. Everything is fine. Eric and Jerry are all of a sudden pals now. You close a case, you got nothing to mention. I take my son trick or treatin’. Everything is fine. As always.”

“Danny? What’s wrong?” Danny sighed and wiped a hand across his mouth.

“Take a look at this drawing, Steve. Take a good look. Charlie drew it in class.”

Steve felt a shiver run down his spine since he was once again gazing at a child’s drawing. But this time it wasn’t a mysterious abused child who’d witnessed a murder, it was Danno’s Charlie. Steve took a deep breath to steady himself and really looked at the colorful picture. He couldn’t help but smile. “It’s us, Danny and it’s Gracie. We’re, The Incredibles. That’s cool. Who’s this little guy? One of Charlie’s buddies from school?”

“That, Steven, is Charlie’s invisible friend, Roland. The same invisible friend that sits with him in class and drew him this.”

Steve carefully focused the second picture, front and back. “Danny, unless he purposely changed his style and letters, this isn’t Charlie’s drawing. Did you check the address?”

“Oh, yeah. Roland and his family did live there. In about 1960. The place was abandoned. But Roland’s picture was on the wall.”

“How did Charlie find out about it? Is this some kid’s idea of a Halloween prank? Something's not right here. Why don’t we run a...”

“I already asked Jerry to check it out.”

“Danny, you really think Charlie’s friend is a ghost?”

Danny sat on the edge of Steve’s desk and rubbed his face with his hands, then smoothed his hair. “I think my son is feeling all alone and he’s in trouble, I… I don’t know… what to think, Steve.”

Steve hesitated, hearing the anguish in Danny’s voice. Then he kicked himself for hesitating, stood and placed himself in front of his partner. “Danny, how can I help?”

Danny took a deep breath and started to pace. Steve moved to give him room.

“Steve, I’m most worried about that picture of, The Incredibles. You are holding Charlie’s other hand. You’re big and larger than life. You have always been a constant in his life. He knows you were there when he was born, you always remembered him on his birthday and holidays. He learned to swim and surf on your beach with Gracie. He doesn’t trust me or Stan or even his mom to be there for him. But you? His own private superhero? He trusts you. Daddys can change and leave, but Uncle Steve is forever. I’m sorry to break this to you, but my son, needs you to be his father-figure.”

“Danny, Charlie loves you. You're his Danno.”

“Danno, right. He got that name from Grace. He doesn't have his own special name for me. I don't think he wants to take a chance on calling me Daddy. I might disappear on him. Now that he's growing up, he's confused. I wasn't there for his formative years and he feels that like abandonment. Like Stan abandoned him. I know he loves me. But he trusts you... needs you. Do you think maybe you can let him into your life a little more? I know we’re a package deal and I know you’re sick of the sight of me lately but…”

“Whoa! Wha? Danny where do you get these ideas? You’re my partner, I love you. I love Charlie and Grace. You know this.”

“Steve. If we were married, You’d be emailing me the divorce papers. I know the signs.”

“God, Danny. I know we’ve been bickering a lot lately…”

“No. I’ve been nagging and you’ve been ignoring me, shutting me down. We see each other at work and the restaurant, but it’s always business. When was the last time we relaxed together and watched a game on TV? But I don’t blame you. Nine years of my drama and bullshit life is too much for anyone. I know how Charlie feels ‘cause I feel the same. Lonely. I’m lonely, you’re lonely and Charlie’s lonely. Only Charlie we can do something about.”

“You’re lonely, Danno? Lonely for me?”

“Yeah, you moron. Me and Charlie are lonely for you. Your presence is important to our mental health, God help us.”

Steve put a hand to his chin and frowned in thought. Then like a cartoon light bulb went off above his head an idea began to glow.

“Move in with me, Danno. You and Charlie and Gracie. You’re right. We’ve all been lonely too long. I want to plan meals with you and buy groceries and watch 'Jeopardy' with you every night and make you breakfast every morning. I want to play with Charlie every weekend and put him to bed with a story every single night. I want you in my life all the time, Danno. I’m sorry I didn’t ask sooner.”

“Move… move in with you? Just like that? What about Junior?”

“Junior is only staying because he doesn’t want me to live alone. He’s had plenty of good offers. For a single guy I sure have a lot of sons and daughters looking out for me. Listen, it will be easy. Grace already uses Mary’s old room, but we can let her update it. We'll enlist Will Grover to help paint and move furniture. That'll make Grace real happy. I’ll buy her one of those girly foot lockers like Mary used to have. A hope chest, I think she called it, and fill it with all kinds of crap girls like to have when they dream about getting married.”

Danny’s eyes were wide in amazement, his hands frozen in midair, palms up in a pleading gesture. “Steve, there are so many mind blowing things in that monologue, I can’t even…”

“No, no, Danny. This is perfect. Charlie can have my old room and him and I will work on it together. I'll spend a lot of time teaching him how to use tools correctly. If he still wants a car room, he’s got it. But if he wants something new like surfboards or maybe Superheroes, we'll do that. Superman would be great, red, white and blue…”

They were interrupted by a quick knock on the door. Jerry appeared bursting with energy and information. “So seven year old Roland Sykes was reported missing on October, twenty-fourth of 1961. There was no foul play, he fell into an abandoned well on his father’s estate, broke his neck and wasn't found for a week. His father was a big wig in the Dole company. Owned a plantation house at 666 Sykes Road. But a year to the day when they found their son dead, the parents were killed in a car crash, no other vehicle involved. Police at scene said Mr. Sykes was drunk and hit a tree.”

“What date was that crash, Jerry.”

“October thirty-first. Halloween, 1962. The strange thing is the entire estate was in little Roland’s name and no one has ever bothered to change it, claim it or put it back on the market. Must have been some oversight at the time. Do you guys mind if I check I out? If I can get it for back taxes or something, I might want to buy it. Some of the guys have toyed with the idea of all us bachelors buying a house together. Like Steve’s house. I know Junior and Eric are definitely on board with the idea. Sort of a 5-0 bachelor’s pad. Gets kind of lonely living by yourself.”

Danny cleared his throat, but his voice still sounded shaky. “Uh, sure. Sure Jerry. Go for it. I saw the, uh, house. It’s huge and in pretty good shape.”

Jerry left with a lively step. He closed the door behind him.

Danny began to tremble, his face growing pale. He turned to Steve to find his partner’s arms were open, beckoning him in. Danny stepped into his embrace and hung on tight.

“Danno. Move in with me, please? I think our sensitive little man might have some very special abilities and will need to feel safe and secure. It will take both of us.”

Danny sighed and rested the top of his head on Steve’s chest. “Partner? Ya know what? I am so done with being lonely. Yes. Thank you. I will move in with you. Only...” 

Danny looked up and searched Steve’s ever changing, ocean hued eyes for something more. Steve brought up a hand to gently cup Danny’s pale but flushed cheek in his palm. Danny closed his eyes and couldn’t stop himself from leaning into the caress. Steve moved a little closer and spoke intimately, “Only what, babe?”

Danny opened his eyes and tilted his head up, so close to Steve’s lips he could feel his warm breath joining his as he anxiously dragged in his own. “Only... in this super SEAL diabolical plan you left out one thing. Where do I sleep?”

Steve closed the distance between them and kissed Danny with nine years worth of repressed adoration, respect, devotion and love. He broke away and managed to say with a breathless grin. “I figured you’d sleep with me, okay? That alright with you, Danno? Or you got something snarky to say about that.”

Danny smiled and shook his head incredulously. He grabbed two scant handfuls of Steve’s fuzzy hair, pulling him to the desk as Danny jumped on the edge and wrapped his legs around Steve’s waist, pulling him into an infamous, New Jersey, no holds barred, kiss.

For once the partners had nothing to bicker about.


End file.
